The Racial Term "White" is Propaganda

Preface---
Below is a somewhat edited email I sent to a few family members and friends during the recent Senate trial of the impeached Trump.  The overwhelming bulk of the essay is not about the trial.  Rather, it's about immigration, Race, so-called "white" culture, propaganda, ethnicity, and our Fed Government.
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The Repubs have pulled out all the stops in terms of distraction from Trump's criminality.  It's obvious to the point of being comical, but their immigrant-hating, minority "base" supporters will buy it.  I don't think the majority of them are really "racist".  What they fear is that some other culture will become dominant here in the USA.  The same is true for some "white" people in other Western World countries.

According to Pew Research, "non-whites" were the majority in 293 Counties in the USA in 2018, mostly in the Southwest & Northeast, but not totally.  Given the birth rates of different ethnic groups (not "racial" groups, which is a different category), it's a given that so-called "white" culture will not be dominant in the future, and that's only counting the influence of immigrants who are here legally.  So, folks worked up about "illegals" need to get over it.  Besides, a culture doesn't have to be dominant in order to survive.  Look at the early immigrant Germans, Italians, Irish, Jews, Chinese, other Asians, etc.---all different cultures, all hated by some people at different times, & all still here... both the ethnic groups and their different cultures.

In addition, White Supremacists should wake up to the fact that Mexican-Americans belong to the same "Race" as they do.  In a 1950 Supreme Court Case (Hernandez v. Texas), the decision affirmed that although such Hispanics biologically are members of the "white" race they also are an ethnic "class" apart, & as such, should be represented on juries. [There were no Chicanos (Mexican-Americans) on the jury in the trial of Hernandez.]

I've maintained for years that the so-called "white" race isn't white at all.  The proper term is Caucasian.  Caucasians are from Europe (including Spain), the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, West Asia, & Central Asia.  [Russia and Turkey are in both Europe and Asia.]  By any reasonable measure, our skin color (& skin color basically means nothing significant) is not "white".  Slap a piece of computer paper on your arm, hand, or face.  It's plain that we are not "white".  That racial term came about because "white" is associated with purity, goodness, and the opposite of "evil" darkness.  [Muhammad Ali pointed that out in one of his college speeches, and he was correct.]  To me, the use of it is subtle racism.  Our Gov't & the Establishment in general once used the correct term, Caucasian; they all now use the term "white".  Shabby, false propaganda.

Sorry, but as a painter who uses many different colors every day, it bothers me that "white" is used--- especially by the Government--- to refer to a particular biological Race.  It also bothers me that too many people appear to be ignorant of the difference between "Race" and "Ethnicity".  Different ethnic groups (with very different cultures) often belong to the same Race.  There is no single "white" culture.  That's a myth, and egregious propaganda.

Wake up, "white" America.  

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Dear President Tweety Bird---

Preface
I really don't like to mock people with name-calling, but the words and actions of your almost constant gaslighting essentially beg for it.  Being far from perfect, I gave in.  Mea culpa.
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Perhaps you would do us all a favor and consider the following points.

1.  It's good that you appear to be withdrawing military troops from Syria.  That's especially true because our involvement in that civil war is unconstitutional.  I'm wondering, though, does the withdrawal include aircraft that do bombing and/or missile attacks?  How about JSOC teams (Special Ops)?

2.  When making your withdrawal announcement, you also claimed (paraphrased here) that we defeated ISIS in Syria.  I think you said, "We won...".  Mr. President, I seriously doubt that even you believe that.  History has shown over and over that war never defeats that type of enemy.  Despite the progress made there (and not just because of our military), ISIS in Syria is far from being defeated.  They merely have faded back into the woodwork for awhile.

3.  Because you tend to lie about half the time, I'm also wondering if you would make public the detailed official Order to withdraw sent to your Commanders in Syria.  You, of course, can redact any sensitive info contained therein.  I mean, surely you don't believe that your Tweety Bird message was any kind of official Order, eh?

4.  How are the seventeen investigations of you and/or your Admin and/or your private companies coming along?  Any info you might share about those?  This is not counting any private investigations that might be going on involving the sixteen women who have accused you of inappropriate sexual behavior or harassment.

5.  How are your gaslighting distractions aimed at We the People doing regarding number 4 above?  Are those distractions working to any significant degree?

6.  Have you read the U.S. Constitution since the 8th or 9th Grade?  Given some of your actions, that seems unlikely.  How about just the 1st, 4th, 5th, & 6th Amendments?  They're really fairly short.  You could easily squeeze them in between golf games.

7.  If you really believe that Mexico is going to wind up paying for your ineffective Border Wall (which should be named, "The Sieve") by you levying tariffs on their goods, has it dawned on you yet who ultimately pays for those tariffs?  It dawned on us (the consumers) quite awhile ago.

8.  Are you aware that 42% of the USA's electorate are Independents, 31% are Democrats, and 25% are Republicans?  I mention that because at times you seem to imply in a braying manner that you have some sort of mandate from We the People.  That's absolutely hilarious.  I'm fairly sure you're not stupid, so most likely your implication is nothing but propaganda.  That's especially likely because 58% of us didn't want you or Hillary to get elected.

9.  Are you aware that, on average, about 50% of eligible voters don't vote in national elections?  It's not because we're lazy; it's because we're fed up with politicians...including you.

10.  With all the Court rulings against your Administration, how is your UNCHRISTIAN immigration policy coming along?

11.  Is there any Head of State in the entire world that you haven't alienated?  At the moment, I can't think of even one.

12.  Most of the people on Earth recognize that we are facing a global, economic/financial Crash.  It's time that you did, too.  The same is true of the worldwide Climate catastrophe.  Start telling the truth.

Finally, don't think for a moment that you have the majority of us fooled.  You aren't any kind of Populist.  While crasser than your predecessors, you're still nothing but a dyed-in-the-wool Plutocrat, an Oligarch.  That's so obvious it's both painful and hilarious.

p.s.  I'm not a Republican or a Democrat, but I think it's highly likely that you won't last through your first term in office...you'll resign or get kicked out.  Given that, perhaps the best course for serious people in the real world (meaning outside the DC Beltway) is to ignore you from this point forward.  You know, just as most of our allies are doing.  You're no longer worth anyone's time or effort...that is, except for investigators.  Your creation of distractions via your childish gaslighting has become boring.
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

More Bald-Faced LIES From Trump & Crew

1.  Regarding separating little kids from their parents at the border, and then shipping the kids all across the country---

The Don claims it's all the fault of the Democrats because:  a) they passed a Law requiring that be done; and b) they are obstructing a new, proposed Law to correct the situation.  Usually Pence is in the background nodding his head in agreement. 

Let's see, first of all, there is no such requirement in any immigration Law passed by the Dems.  The requirement was for separation of children from smugglers, not PARENTS.  There is only Trump & Crew's screwy interpretation of the Law.  This is similar to John Yoo's screwy interpretations of Law during the Dubya Admin.  Yoo claimed the Geneva Conventions of treatment of war prisoners did not apply to Afghanistan or Iraq.  He also claimed that despite the Fourth Amendment, warrantless wiretapping of citizens was legal.

As to obstructionism by the Dems regarding a new Law on immigration, exactly how does that happen when Repubs hold majorities in both Houses of Congress?  Seems to me it can happen only if some Repubs join the Dems in opposition to whatever The Don & Crew are proposing.

The fact is:  this cruel practice (in a supposedly Christian nation) is totally the creation of Trump and Sessions.  It's their policy, and no one else's.  Even many/most high-level Repubs abhor it.  Finally, it's State-sponsored child abuse.

2.  Regarding claims that "the economy is doing great"---

Lately, Trump & Crew are claiming exactly that on an almost regular basis.  Let's see, we have a Stock Market Bubble that's worse than the one just prior to the 2008 Crash.  The same is true of the current Housing Market Bubble.  The Derivatives Bubble is alive and rolling on.  The Bond Market Bubble is starting to collapse.  The National Debt is nothing short of astonishing.  All that begs an answer to this question:  are Trump & Crew so ignorant that they believe none of the above are Bubbles?

Answer:  Of course not.  They all know they're Bubbles, and that those Bubbles will burst relatively soon..."They" being the ones who are deceitfully selling: the "good economic times are here".  Shades of 1929, 1973-'75, 1981-'82, 1986-'87, '97-2001, & 2007-'09.

Add to the above the fact that the rising price inflation rate has almost totally wiped out any wage increases of late.  Add to that:  Trump's Trade War will harm both consumers and businesses.  Then add this:  the Fed Government's Jobs Report and Unemployment numbers are almost always wrong.  Unemployment is at least double the number given by the Feds.  Finally, add this:  for the first time in our history, the Middle Class comprises less than 50% of our population.

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Conclusion:  Mr. President, you are flat-out lying about both numbers 1. & 2. above.  Either that, or you are the most ignorant Oval Office Occupier we've ever had.

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Suggestion to everyone:  don't take on more debt, pay down what you can, and hang on to every hard asset possible.  The next Crash is overdue.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Another Reason People Are Pissed Off

Yesterday I drove to town to RENEW my Driver's License.  I hand the lady my license, & she says she also needs my BIRTH CERTIFICATE, SS CARD, & TWO PROOFS OF RESIDENCE.  And something else...I've already forgotten what.  I drive back home, get my portfolio of docs that I keep handy, & drive back to her office...for the 2nd time.  She looks at an official County doc titled "Proof of Residence" which I had to get when I moved here (almost 5 years ago) and says, "This is no good."  And I say, "Why not?"  She replies, "I need two proofs of residence that are no more than 60 days old.".

It used to be that getting a Driver's License meant you already had established your ID and place of residence, so when license renewal time came up, you simply were asked if there were any changes.  According to the lady I dealt with, the "Real ID Act" changed all that.

[Thank you so much, DC Repubs & Dems:]

The County Office guy who issues the County-required "9-1-1 Emergency Proof of Residence" official document wasn't available when I was at the County Courthouse yesterday.  [The County Courthouse is a few double-wide mobile homes strung together.]  So, the MVD lady (in New Mexico, it's MVD, not DMV:) sent me to the local phone company & also to the place where I buy propane for my home.  I was told to give them my "this-is-no-good" County Proof of Residence, & then they would print out a copy of my last receipt...with my physical address on it, not just the mailing address.  Though by now I was somewhat exhausted, frustrated, & pissed off from all this running around, like a good member of the Herd, I did all that.  Then I drove back to the MVD Office for the 3rd time.

I don't blame the local bureaucrats here; they don't pass the Laws or make policy.  But this whole scenario is only one tiny reason why the Fake Populist wound up in the White House.  [Hillary, too, is a Fake Populist; way back when, she wasn't, but has been since becoming a multi-millionaire.]  Too many people in this country are frustrated with, & angry about, public institutions.  Never mind how bad it is with private institutions.  They wanted a massive change.  Unfortunately, they're not going to get one...at least, not the kind they want.

I could write a whole piece on why the "Real ID Act" is an abomination, but very few folks seem to care, so I won't bother...or bore you.    Just keep in mind, it was passed into Law by both Repubs AND Dems.

There is a wrinkle to my story.  When "Real ID" was passed (in 2008, I think), many States basically said, "This is hogwash...we're not doing it."...New Mexico has been one of the very last to finally comply.  This State is right in the middle of complying; that may be why I had this License Renewal nightmare, & someone in a different State hasn't recently experienced the same thing.

The MVD Branch Office is 10-15 minutes from my home.  The 3 times I was there yesterday, there were only 1 or 2 people ahead of me in line.  It took me 3 hours to get my license renewed.  In the not-so-distant past, it took about 20 minutes.  The people at the phone company and propane business told me that they print out receipts like the ones I got at least 5 times per day...all year.

This is no way to run a railroad.  

Today, a friend in CA told me that Commercial Driver's Licenses there soon, as part of SMART ID, will have a yellow/gold star on them.  Really, a yellow star?...what a lack of historical perspective.  Good grief.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Trump Already is Imploding AND Unitary Executive Power

King Donald appears to think he's still a CEO, or worse, the owner of the American Gov't.  This is somewhat understandable because there are few (if any) institutions more dictatorial than a Mega Corporation...and that's the atmosphere our President is used to.  He appears to believe that he's the Boss of the entire Fed Gov't., and that being Commander-in-Chief entitles him to ignore Immigration Laws passed by Congress and other laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) passed into Law during the Nixon Era.  [Just the other day, the Army cancelled/terminated the NEPA requirement for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).  That's a direct violation of NEPA.]

The Don appears to be ignorant of the fact that we have a government composed of three separate branches---all co-equal.  He apparently doesn't believe in the concepts of Checks and Balances and Separation of Powers.  This also is somewhat understandable.  That's because going back at least to the Bill Clinton Era, the Executive Branch has pretty much embraced the concept of Unitary Executive Power (especially promulgated during the Dubya Bush Era).  This concept purports that the President is allowed to set aside any laws that conflict with the Executive's view of actions necessary to preserve "National Security".  It was honed into a weapon (against democracy) primarily by John Yoo and David Addington in the Bush Administration.  In essence, it places the President above the law.  Clinton, Bush, Obama, and it looks like Trump as well all believe in it.  This is a big part of the reason for Presidential violations of statutory law and the Supreme Law of the Land, the U.S. Constitution.

This is the reason that recent Presidents believed they could spy on Americans without obtaining individual warrants signed by a judge.  It's the reason that recent Presidents thought they could go to war without the approval of Congress.  It's the reason they believed that people (U.S. citizens) can be arrested and held incommunicado without a warrant.  It's the reason they all still believe that the President can order weaponized drone attacks whenever and wherever the Executive Branch so chooses...even if the target country says NO.  This is the reason that FBI Agents now can write their own Search Warrants (called "National Security Letters"), and if you're served with one, you cannot reveal that to anyone (not even an attorney) or you're subject to five years in prison.  That's a prime example of Fascism in action.

Trump's implosion is evidenced by his continual whining about judges, about "fake news", about Nordstrom dropping his daughter's clothing line (!), about lawmakers who wish to alter Asset Forfeiture laws, about anyone who criticizes or opposes him, and by his continual use of Twitter as a vehicle for all his woes & complaints.  [He's acting like a teenager.]

King Donald, like all recent Presidents, appears to believe that no one in the Judicial Branch or the Legislative Branch has the right or duty to oppose him.  He seems to think that he's the Head Honcho of the whole Shebang.  He thinks he's the CEO of the Fed Gov't.  Like the Presidents of our recent past, apparently he believes that being Commander-in-Chief of the military means that he's entitled to be above the law.  Being the Head Honcho of the military does not entitle any President to ignore any part of the Constitution or any Law passed by Congress.  There are limits on the Presidency...a lot of limits.  Without strict observance of those limits, we have a Fascist government.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Blanket Bans on People Are Asinine

Preface---
Never mind the fact that Article II, Section 2 enumerates ONLY TWO Executive Orders permitted under the United States Constitution.  The President may order Department Heads to submit reports on anything having to do with their respective departments, and may grant clemency/pardons to specified prisoners.  That's it.  No other Exec Orders are listed/described.  Put that aside...because We the People apparently have accepted the Fed Govt's analysis which states that other Orders are IMPLIED.  Some analysts have argued (to no avail) that the Constitution does not imply powers, but instead ENUMERATES them.  [We have, after all, a government of Enumerated Powers.]

So for decades & decades, we have allowed past & present Presidents essentially to issue decrees (like a King) that instead should be ideas for legislative bills submitted to Congress.  Never mind all that.  Trump isn't the only guilty party.
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The USA's Soft Fascism is hardening rapidly under this new King & his Administration.  The recent blanket ban is proof of that.  Here are a few of the results:
1.  at JFK Airport, some moron kicked & punched a Muslim woman who was dressed according to her faith, and then said, "Trump is here now; he's going to get rid of all of you!";
2.  a PhD candidate at Stanford, who had been visiting abroad, was detained upon return to the Land of the Free because the country visited was one of the "areas where we've had trouble" (the quote is from an Administration spokesman);
3.  other students with Green Cards attending other universities had similar experiences;
4.  Iraqis who helped save the lives of American soldiers, and thus were targeted in their own land, were denied entrance as refugees to the USA at the airport... because of Trump's "Executive Order".

So much for "extreme vetting".  With this Order, apparently there is no vetting.  There's only a blanket ban.

Pluralistic societies/countries, if they were to use Trump's reasoning, should ban all Americans from entrance to their lands... because some Americans are violent racists.  That's the same flawed logic.

Trump already has demonstrated that he should be impeached.  Keep in mind, the Impeachment process begins merely with an investigation by the House.  It may end there.  It's the Senate that has to vote for conviction (removal from office)...2/3rds of Senators must so vote...if the House votes to proceed.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Trump, Clinton, Obama, Limbaugh, the Establishment, & Crony Capitalism

Below is my response to a forwarded email from a dear friend.  The original piece apparently was written by David Limbaugh, a brother of Rush Limbaugh.  In it, he comments on Trump's popularity and how the Establishment is responsible for that.  He also has quite a bit to say about Obama, claiming (for instance) that the President & his Administration are "honoring socialism"...and how they "reward unemployment and laziness"... and they are soft on immigration.  It's a well-written piece, but full of false premises and incorrect assumptions.
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Apparently David has as little knowledge of politics as does his brother, Rush.

1.  Obama is a Corporatist, as is Trump.  Neither one of them cares one whit about you & me.

2.  Obama has deported 2 million illegals.  He keeps the current Central American ones 

(mostly mothers & children) in privately run prisons with inadequate food & health care.  Those 

private corporations have lucrative gov't contracts.

3.  He is very unpopular among many/most illegal immigrants.

4.  Wall Street loved Obama in 2008...and they still do.

5.  Trump is a charlatan---he IS the Establishment...that is, the private (not Gov't) 

Establishment.  He's a Crony Capitalist Oligarch.  If elected, he would work hardest for the 

Rich & Powerful (R&P).

6.  He's a strong believer in Globalization (like Obama & Clinton)...and that primarily 

benefits the R&P.

7.  Obama's Admin. does not "honor socialism"...it honors Crony Capitalism.

8.  The most important point---  The author writes/talks as if all America is embracing Trump.  

The only thing I've seen is that he's embraced by a slight majority of Repubs.  ALL Repubs 

make up only 25% of the electorate.  Trump is despised by probably 99.9% of Democrats, 

including those who are fed up with Obama.  ALL Dems make up 31% of the electorate.  So 

you see, Trump is not nearly as popular as the Corporate Media would have us believe.

This reminds me a bit of the '64 election.  Goldwater was the rebel against the Eastern 

Establishment; Nelson Rockefeller was the "Liberal" Repub running against him in the 

Primaries.  Goldwater won at the Convention.  Those of us in favor of him knew for sure he 

would slaughter the Dems in Nov.  He was wildly popular with people... or so we thought.  It 

was a landslide for LBJ.  I was stunned.  IF Trump gets the nomination, the same thing will 

happen this November.  Clinton will cream him in the election.  What's ironic is that she's a 

Corporatist much like him.  We commoners are screwed no matter which one of them wins.

p.s.  For why Sanders won't be the Dem nominee, see this---

http://individualsovereignty.blogspot.com/2016/02/heres-one-way-elections-are-rigged-in.html

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

May All Fanatic Tribalism Evaporate

Below is my response (modified just a bit) to a Forwarded email received from a dear friend.  That email contained a link to a YouTube clip of a speech by a Swiss Member of Parliament.  In that speech, the young man was exhorting his colleagues to "stand up" against the invasion of Europe by Islamists.  One could infer from the email that the same should apply to those of us in the USA.  The theme was almost entirely immigration, not terrorism.  My response is about the USA.
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Europeans & Americans need to understand a simple fact of demographics.  This speaker hit the nail on the head when he described our cultures as "child-poor".  It's a matter of BIRTH-RATE.  I don't worry too much about the coming majority of either Middle-Easterners of the Islam persuasion OR of Spanish-speaking Catholic Americans because that is inevitable.  The ones already here legally will be a majority of our population in a few to several generations simply because they reproduce a gazillion times faster than Anglo-Saxons (in general).  There is no "solution" to that.  They will rule because of democracy and demography.

The Right Wing here, in particular, screeches on & on about immigration, Islam, Mexicans (even though most illegals now come from Central American countries, not Mexico), etc.  What they apparently don't realize is that the ones here legally already have assured the outcome of the demographic process---they will be the majority of the population in the not-so-distant future...legally.  I figure it's not much use to get all upset about something that no one can do a damned thing about.  Our descendants will be the new minority...that's inevitable.  American culture will change even more than it already has.  Nothing can be done about that...at least, nothing civil, ethical, legal, or moral.  Anything else is unthinkable and indefensible.  [Deporting 11 million people, building a border wall, etc. will not stop the coming change.  That change will come from the people already here legally.]

The good news is that throughout our history minorities almost always have managed to hang onto their cultures...even though each one is no longer (or never was) dominant in the country.  It's not the end of the world, but America will never be the same as what we knew.

Trump & people like him are pandering to Americans' fear, but this is not a question of illegal immigration or the Barbary Pirate Horde.  It's a matter of the birth-rates of those already here legally.  NOTHING can be done about that.  Our descendants will have to adapt...or move to New Zealand.  [They don't allow too many to emigrate from wherever to their land.]  

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We humans like to think that nowadays we're very advanced, intelligent, and sophisticated.  Too often the truth is that we're still stuck in Tribalism, and sometimes, fanatic Tribalism.  Too often each "tribe" is utterly convinced that only it is completely in the "Right"; only it is justified in its actions.  That doesn't say much for us as a species.  "When will we ever learn?", eh, Pete?

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Immigration, Reproduction, & the Constitution

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9atIjykihkc

If the stats in the above video are correct, then that's one more reason to pressure Congress to call an Article V Constitutional Convention. [See http://foavc.org/ ]

Currently only the President has to be a natural-born citizen in order to hold elective office. Perhaps a Constitutional Amendment should be proposed that requires ALL national politicians to be natural-born, as well as their ancestors (going back, say, 100 years or so). "Unfair", some would say. Really? I guess that means the current requirement for the office of President is unfair as well, eh?

Without that Amendment, it would appear that we easily could have a national government run by Muslims in only several decades or so. Is that bad? Well, it seems to me that it might be...especially given the fact that our government has been converted illegally into a Democracy, as opposed to what it is supposed to be---a Constitutional Republic.

That conversion has been accomplished by means of Legislative Absolutism, a term coined by Supreme Court Justice Harlan in the early 1900s. In a Democracy, where the majority is almighty, almost any law can be put into effect...regardless of the negative impact on individual Rights. In a Constitutional Republic, individual Rights are paramount and the national government is one of enumerated powers---the government can do only what is listed in the Constitution. In other words, Congress cannot pass any law it wishes simply because a majority desires it.

Over the past several decades in my life, I've come across many people who believe sincerely that our government legally can pass any law it wishes, dealing with any subject, as long as a majority favors said law. That simply is not true. It can be (and has been) done illegally, but not legally. Our Constitution strictly limits the areas in which the government can delve; but those limitations have been ignored by Congress (both Democrats and Republicans) for many, many years. For example, nowhere in the Constitution is the central government given the authority to have anything whatsoever to do with education. That matter was reserved (by the Tenth Amendment) to the States or to the People. No Constitutional Amendment has been ratified that gives the Fed Government such authority or power.